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Justin Trudeau pledges more than $1B for Ottawa LRT's Phase 2

Phase 2 will see light rail extended east to Trim Road, west to Moodie Drive and south to Bowesville by 2023

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced more than $1 billion in funding for the second stage of Ottawa's LRT project.

Trudeau made the announcement at a news conference on Friday morning at the O-Train Belfast Yard maintenance and storage facility, alongside Mayor Jim Watson and other politicians.

"It's a project that will create jobs, nearly 1,000 full-time jobs for people here in Ottawa," Trudeau told the crowd.

The project will also take 14,000 vehicles off the road during Ottawa's rush hour and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 99,700 tonnes, he added.

Watson called it an "historic day" for people in Ottawa who want to rid the city of gridlock, protect the environment and "ensure that we have the highest standard of quality of life in our nation's capital."

The city will be able to break ground on Phase 2 in spring of 2019, he added.

Discussed for decades

This funding has been discussed for years.

In 2015, the Conservative government announced "up to $1 billion" for Phase 2 in a letter to the mayor a month before the federal election was called.

During that same campaign, Trudeau personally called Watson at home one evening to give him a heads-up about the Liberals' infrastructure platform, as well as to pledge his support for Ottawa's LRT phase 2.